About the wilson Award
The significance of the H. W. Wilson Award for Excellence in Indexing is hard to underestimate in its contribution to the profile of the field of indexing and to its sponsoring organization, the ASI. Here is a link to Janet Russell's 2004 award citation. Scroll down to 2004.
Acceptance Speech
Part of the honor (to some who are afraid of public speaking it may be a horror) of the award is the opportunity to address one's peers and speak on indexing matters. The text of my speech and a down loadable version are available here, or click on Speech under Wilson Award in the menu to the left.
Criteria
Unlike, say, the Academy Awards or the Emmys which are awarded to the best of the year even if all the choices are crummy, the Wilson Award is given only if a truly outstanding index is produced in a particular year. For more details, click here, or on Criteria under the Wilson Award in the menu to the left.
Commendation
The Wilson Award Commendation for Janet Russell was a career crowning achievement. For more details, click here or on Commendation under the Wilson Award in the menu to the left.
Interview: Janet Russell and her winning index
The front cover interview from i-Torque magazine with commentary by Nancy Mulvany begins:
Janet Russell is the recipient of the 2004 A.S.I.–H. W. Wilson Award for her index to
Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition, 2002 Revision (2003 Update). Speaking for
the A.S.I. committee, Janet Perlman commented: “The Wilson jury felt that the index
exhibited excellence in its accuracy, completeness, and ease of use. The index had a
level of complexity matching that of the document, and the indexer’s use of the text’s
language reflected good indexing practice and anticipated the needs of its primary users:
cataloguers.”
The full interview from i-Torque magazine is here in .pdf